After that, as though a string tethered me to him, I was forced to remain by Matteo—forced to watch as he slept with Isabella, tried on their wedding attire, and discussed the details of the ceremony.

It was only then that I discovered that the cold and aloof Matteo I had known could actually be so gentle and thoughtful.

Back when we got married, the Costa family was still relatively weak, so we had only set up a simple feast at home. I hadn't even received a ring.

At the time, I had asked him, "Could we have a wedding ceremony in the future? I want to wear a wedding dress."

He had furrowed his brow as he extinguished his cigar. "Francesca, we live on a knife's edge, and surviving to see another day is already a blessing. Why bother with all that pointless nonsense? Don't let yourself be taken by such pretentious and fanciful thinking."

As it turned out, it wasn't that he couldn't give me a ceremony—he just didn't want to do it for me. He didn't think I was worthy of the effort.

…

On the day of the wedding, the Costa manor was so bright it seemed a thousand suns were illuminating it. Luxury cars crowded the venue, some even parked all the way to the middle of the mountain.

Matteo was dressed in a pure-white suit, his arm wrapped around Isabella, who wore a million-dollar designer wedding gown. They were greeting the guests who came and accepting the congratulations from all the city's elites.

It was a stark contrast to my wedding, where only a few MadeMans had toasted me in congratulations.

Those same MadeMans—the ones who had gone through hell and high water with me, and the ones who claimed that they would only ever accept me as the Donna—were now all smiles as they addressed Isabella as the Donna.

"Congratulations, Don! Congratulations, Donna!"

Luciano Rinaldi raised his glass in a toast as he added sincerely, "You two really are a perfect match for each other!"

Luciano used to be my right-hand man. Years ago, I was nearly stabbed to death when trying to save him.

Isabella's lips curved into a shy smile. "Grazie, Luciano, but I'm with child, so I can't drink."

"That is truly the greatest blessing for the Costa family!" Luciano's eyes shone with even more respect. "Indeed, only you are worthy of being the Donna of the Costa family. Unlike that crude Francesca, who monopolized the position for so many years yet couldn't even perform the most basic duty—to carry on the lineage.

"What an embarrassment to the family she was!"

Everyone else raised their glasses in fervent agreement.

Isabella smiled, her hand coming up to caress her abdomen.

However, I was utterly dumbfounded at this news.

Isabella was pregnant? That meant the Costa family had a new heir.

I hovered there, watching as they chatted and smiled. I took in the absolute delight on Matteo's face at being a father, yet all I could think of was my own child, of the pitifully small bones that had been crushed and left to rot in the dirt.

"Since the Donna can't drink, you should drink on her behalf, Don Costa!"

Drunk off the alcohol, Luciano couldn't stop congratulating my ex-husband and my murderer before he went off on another tirade.

"Don Costa, forgive my impudence, but it's been two years since that traitor Francesca disappeared. It's about time to capture her and drag her back here! Once we have her, I'll personally punish her, let her have a taste of all the torture methods at our disposal! This shall be my wedding gift to our new Donna!"

The crowd nodded and roared in furious agreement.

"Si! However, even putting her through all that torture isn't enough to wash away her sins!"

Matteo smirked, his silence leaving me breathless with the pain of my heart breaking.

Isabella waved her hand, feigning magnanimity, yet her eyes shone with a triumphant gleam. "Forget it, Luciano. Today is a blessed day, so let's not bring up Francesca… Maybe she has her reasons."

Hearing that, Luciano scoffed and sneered, "What reasons could she possibly have? She's nothing but a greedy and wicked woman! Your kindness knows no bounds, Donna. If it had been anyone else, they would've hated her and cursed her to the depths of hell after what she did!"

An adoring expression painted Matteo's face as he stroked Isabella's hair gently. "Alright, let's not talk about that traitor anymore. It'll just bring bad luck. In a way, her leaving was one of the best things to happen to me. Otherwise, how could I have been able to marry such a wonderful wife as you?"

The crowd abruptly parted for an elderly man to walk through.

It was none other than the Costa family's Consigliere, Antonio Marino. He was also my adopted father and the only family I had in the world.

"Mr. Marino!" Isabella's eyes lit up as she greeted him sweetly.

Antonio passed her an intricate jewelry box, a warm smile softening his features. "Bella, this is a wedding gift for you. I can sleep easy knowing you'll be by Matteo's side, taking care of him.

"Luciano was right about Francesca. She's always been an unscrupulous and devious woman, a blight on the family. Like a ticking time bomb, it was only a matter of time before she caused trouble for us all.

"Thankfully, the Costa family had you, and we were able to stop more significant losses from happening. If she ever reveals herself again, I'll be the first to take a gun to her head."

I stared at the elderly man who had raised me since I was a child. A laugh tickled my throat, yet all I could feel was a soul-crushing despair.

Once upon a time, he had stroked my head while saying, "Franci, my daughter, you truly are the greatest pride of my life."

Now, however, I had become an "unscrupulous and devious woman" in his eyes.

Matteo replied, "Don't worry, Antonio. I've already increased the bounty price to 50 million. Only death awaits Francesca."

Antonio patted Matteo's shoulder with a nod of satisfaction. "Good job. You don't need to hold back on my account. We should never have mercy on traitors."

Isabella spoke up worriedly. "Mr. Marino, don't you think that's too merciless? At the end of the day, Francesca is your daughter…"

In response, Antonio scoffed. "I don't have a daughter like her. Anyway, I still have one more gift for you, though it's more Matteo's idea than mine."

Clearing his throat, Antonio then declared solemnly, "I hereby announce that Francesca Marino has been exiled, her name removed from the family. From now on, Bella is the only Donna I acknowledge."

What a wonderful show it was that was playing out before me now. One was the man I loved the most in the world, while the other was the adopted father I respected most. In their bid to curry favor with my murderer, they were all so eager to wipe away every trace of my existence.

I was an orphan, so Antonio held an even more important place in my heart compared to my biological father.

In the past two years, I had fantasized countless times about how he would definitely find me after he discovered I was missing. I was certain that he would seek justice on my behalf and avenge me.

Now, I realized how wrong I had been.

To them, I was nothing but a cold-blooded, disloyal traitor. Not a single one of them was willing to believe in my character, to believe that I was innocent.

Both Matteo and Isabella inclined their heads at him in gratitude. "Grazie, Antonio. This is the best wedding gift I could receive."

I let out an incredulous scoff. It seemed that Matteo's biggest wish was to see me dead.

Isabella had a hand clamped over her mouth while tears shimmered in her eyes. "Mr. Marino… Matteo… you both are just too good to me. Actually, if Francesca were to return—"

Immediately, Matteo cut her off. "She has no right coming back. The only thing a bitch like her deserves if she dares to return here is to be chopped into minced meat."

At that moment, Matteo's phone started ringing urgently in his pocket.

Brow furrowing into a frown, Matteo answered the call with impatience oozing from every pore.

From the other end of the line came Paolo's voice, sounding strangled and off. "D-Don Costa … the DNA test results are out. The body… It's Francesca Marino…"

I watched as Matteo's fingers squeezed the phone tightly while he demanded in an annoyed tone, "What did you say? Was there a mistake?"

Paolo swallowed, the sound almost audible through the phone. "Don Costa, there wasn't a mistake. That body belongs to the ex-Donna who disappeared two years ago, Francesca Marino!"